Utah Families Baffled by Thousands of Gallons of Water Seeping Into Their Basements, and Even City Officials Don't Know What's Causing It

Thousands of gallons of water have seeped into two Utah families' basements over the past week, but at this point they aren't sure if they need a plumber or a detective.

Ogden, Utah, homeowner Jessica Smith told KSTU-TV that since June 28, her family has pumped more than 20,000 gallons of water coming in from beneath the floor and behind the walls. Smith said they've been going down every 20 to 30 minutes around the clock in an ongoing effort to keep the water out.

Image source: KTSU-TV

“I would like to find the source of this water, right now it kind of seems like a witch hunt,” Smith said. “There is obviously a cause for this, we’ve called Weber Water Basin. We called plumbers. We called city engineers.”

Ogden public utilities manager Kenton Moffett said the city launched an investigation but found nothing wrong with the pipes that supply water to homes. Moffett's answer to the aqua mystery?

“Well it rained a lot in May, so I mean sometimes it can delay, ground water is a tricky thing. It’s hard to tell,” he told KSTU.

Smith isn't buying that explanation.

“I think that’s baloney. To have this much water as ground water is unheard of and to have it keep coming,” she said.

The problem isn't limited to Smith's basement, either. Next door, homeowner Alison Lundell is having the same problem. However, neither family's insurance policies will cover the damage.

"You know, we are not in a flood plane so they just say they can’t do anything. Sorry it didn’t happen in your house. It’s outside, so we’re screwed,” Lundell said.

Smith said she recently had her basement finished and was just days away from putting the house up for sale when the flooding began, a plan that's been put on hold, at least for now.

“Unfortunately, you can’t put a house on the market that’s underwater. Smith acknowledged. "Nobody is going to want to buy this. Nobody is going to want to look at this."